Courtesy of Christopher Newport Athletic Communications 

The NCAA has awarded Christopher Newport University the opportunity to host the 2014 Division III Women's Volleyball National Championship next November. Eight teams will play at the Freeman Center in Newport News from November 21-23, 2014, for a chance at hoisting the walnut and bronze national championship trophy.

"We are very proud and excited to host the top women's volleyball teams in the country," said Director of Athletics Todd Brooks. "We are looking forward to this tremendous opportunity to showcase the Freeman Center and all that our campus has to offer."

This will be the second time in four years that an NCAA National Championship hosted by the Christopher Newport Department of Athletics, after the 2010 NCAA Field Hockey Championship. The Captains have hosted numerous NCAA Regional, Sectional and first- and second-round matchups on campus, but this is just the second time the campus will host a national final.

"We really want to thank everyone who put in a bid," said Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice president of championships and alliances. "The competitiveness of the bids made it extremely difficult for the sport committees to select sites as there just weren't spots for all of the great bids we received. Ultimately, the sites that weer selected will provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans the best experience possible."

The Freeman Center, open since 2000, can seat up to 2,500 fans for basketball and volleyball contests. It has played host to three NCAA Volleyball Regional Championships, from 2010-12. 

The new NCAA championship bid process creates the largest host site announcement ever, spanning 82 championships across a four-year cycle. Previously, selection announcements varied by sport. This process now gives the NCAA and host sites more time to plan each championship experience.

Bidding for 82 of 89 NCAA championships began in July and 1,984 bid applications were ultimately submitted. Each sport committee, per division, selected the host sites it believed would provide the ultimate experience for the respective student-athletes, resulting in 523 total championship event sites awarded.

For more information on all of the NCAA championship sites awarded, log on to www.ncaa.com/site-selections.